School with hoary past determined to survive
Asha P Nair Express News Service - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
04th June 2012 10:27 AM
Never mind its dingy passages and worn-out look. At one glance, you could tell that the school has seen better days. Once the residence of Travancore Dewans, including Madhava Rao, the majestic past has done nothing to redeem Fort UP School from the chasm of neglect it faces. But the school itself is an inspiring chapter on survival.
On Monday, it will again open its doors to poor children from the nearby slums, with English medium in pre-primary - just another means to keep going.
Every new academic year is a time of uncertainty for the school authorities at Fort UPS. ‘’Most of the children are from the nearby slums. Many of them, belonging to families from Tamil Nadu. Their parents collect scrap or move around finding jobs. They come and join only when the school starts. So, right now, we do not know how many will join class I,’’ says headmistress Pushkalakumari.
But she is sure that around ten students would join the pre-primary, which is restarting English medium after a long gap. ‘’That’s the last effort to avoid a closure of the school. Parents want to send their wards to English medium, even if they have no idea what the language is all about,’’ she says. After much hard work, the teaching staff - three teachers, including the HM, had visited the nearby slums and offered everything from uniform to bags - have arranged the ten new admissions.
All this a far cry from the glorious days it once had. In the voluminous book brought out by the District Panchayat some years back on schools in the district, there is an interesting leaf on Fort UPS and why it is often referred to as ‘Sathram School.’
History says the place where the school stands now was once a pond used by Brahmins. They had come to this place from Thanjavur to serve the king, Marthanda Varma Kulasekhara Perumal.
The pond was later filled up and ‘agraharams’ came up. The Nampoorthiris from Payyanoor and the Tamil Brahmins who came for ‘murajapam’ at the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple used to stay in these agraharams. Later, the building which now houses the school was built as the abode of Travancore Dewan Madhava Rao.
Later, two other administrative heads also lived there. Gradually, it became an inn. The ‘acharyas’ from the four Sankaracharya ‘madoms’ in India used to be put up here during their visits. So the name ‘sathram.’
Initially, when the school was started, it was one of the best around. More than Malayali students, Tamil students filled up the roll. But the glory soon faded and the school lost in the race.
‘’The architecture of the building dates back to the olden days and is typical of the style that is found in old palaces and residences. However, it is crumbling with passing years,’’ the headmistress says.
The Corporation has granted a considerable amount for renovation this time and maintenance of the classrooms has been done. The SSA has also built a building to the back of the school which functions as its autism centre.
Last year, the school had just 160 students studying there and this year the teachers hope to gain more with the introduction of English medium. The determination of the school to survive is infectious. If only there was more support from the authorities, it could see brighter days again
On Monday, it will again open its doors to poor children from the nearby slums, with English medium in pre-primary - just another means to keep going.
Every new academic year is a time of uncertainty for the school authorities at Fort UPS. ‘’Most of the children are from the nearby slums. Many of them, belonging to families from Tamil Nadu. Their parents collect scrap or move around finding jobs. They come and join only when the school starts. So, right now, we do not know how many will join class I,’’ says headmistress Pushkalakumari.
But she is sure that around ten students would join the pre-primary, which is restarting English medium after a long gap. ‘’That’s the last effort to avoid a closure of the school. Parents want to send their wards to English medium, even if they have no idea what the language is all about,’’ she says. After much hard work, the teaching staff - three teachers, including the HM, had visited the nearby slums and offered everything from uniform to bags - have arranged the ten new admissions.
All this a far cry from the glorious days it once had. In the voluminous book brought out by the District Panchayat some years back on schools in the district, there is an interesting leaf on Fort UPS and why it is often referred to as ‘Sathram School.’
History says the place where the school stands now was once a pond used by Brahmins. They had come to this place from Thanjavur to serve the king, Marthanda Varma Kulasekhara Perumal.
The pond was later filled up and ‘agraharams’ came up. The Nampoorthiris from Payyanoor and the Tamil Brahmins who came for ‘murajapam’ at the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple used to stay in these agraharams. Later, the building which now houses the school was built as the abode of Travancore Dewan Madhava Rao.
Later, two other administrative heads also lived there. Gradually, it became an inn. The ‘acharyas’ from the four Sankaracharya ‘madoms’ in India used to be put up here during their visits. So the name ‘sathram.’
Initially, when the school was started, it was one of the best around. More than Malayali students, Tamil students filled up the roll. But the glory soon faded and the school lost in the race.
‘’The architecture of the building dates back to the olden days and is typical of the style that is found in old palaces and residences. However, it is crumbling with passing years,’’ the headmistress says.
The Corporation has granted a considerable amount for renovation this time and maintenance of the classrooms has been done. The SSA has also built a building to the back of the school which functions as its autism centre.
Last year, the school had just 160 students studying there and this year the teachers hope to gain more with the introduction of English medium. The determination of the school to survive is infectious. If only there was more support from the authorities, it could see brighter days again
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